Silent Flower
by ashley3120
Summary: Karlheinz fails to create a new race. Even with Yui, the DiaBoys don't succeed either. So the Vampire King adds another girl into the picture. Problem solved? Read to find out.
1. Prologue

"ARGHH!"

The room was a mess. Furniture broken, books scattered and their pages ripped out. Yet the white haired vampire was still not done.

 _'Grr..what else have I not tried?_ 'the vampire thought angrily. His gold eyes scanned the room, searching for others objects to unleash his anger upon.

"The plan should have worked once she chose an Adam."Karlheinz muttered to himself, frustrated. "She has the blood of a First Blood and she has taught them feelings and yet...ARGHH!"

Yes, the vampire king had been rewinding time again and again to get the correct outcome but to no avail. Infact, he had paired her with all of them, but still no success. All of them met at death's door one way or another, with the disease as their valet. All of them..with her..

 _'That's it.'_ he whispered as the realisation hit him. The girl was the problem. No. She fit every aspect in being Eve. The problem-she wasn't the only one.

"Maybe the problem is the solution." The Vampire King grinned. He had come up with a way to 'improve' his plans. Now he had to set it in motion.


	2. Why her?

'Ring~'

The bell had rung and the students of Ryoutei High exited their classes. All of them worrying about the test which would be held the week after... except a certain platinum blonde-haired female. She had other things to worry about.

"Oi, chichinashi hurry up."said a red haired boy. The girl sensed something and asked, "Is something wrong Ayato ? "

"Ah, you noticed ? You're usually quite oblivious, bitch-chan ~ " commented boy with a fedora.

"The look of disappointment is written all over his face right, teddy?" said another boy with purple hair and a teddy bear in his arms.

"Oi, ore-sama can hear you, Laito, Kanato." Ayato addressed his brothers, clearly annoyed now.

Kanato explained to the girl, "If you must know, Yui, Ayato lost in a basketball game..."

"...with a girl, too."added Laito, smirking.

Ayato's face was starting to turn as red as his hair. He faced his brothers, "YOU..."

"HEY! Hurry up will you? The limo won't be waiting for you all day!" Ayato was cut off by another boy with white hair.

"Ugh! Fine,Subaru."Ayato seemed to be at his breaking point.

They reached the limo and once Yui got in it, she noticed an unknown figure in the limo. 'Who is she?', Yui thought. But she didn't get to ask.

"HUH? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

* * *

They were in the living room of the Sakamaki mansion. As Reiji put it, 'a more appropriate place to welcome their guest', rather than sitting in a cramped limo. With someone complaining all the way to the mansion.

And he was still complaining. "Tch! Why her?" Ayato questioned for the tenth time.

"Why don't we start over again."said Reiji. "Miss, please introduce yourself."

"Oh, yeah sure.'replied the guest.

Meanwhile, Yui glanced at the female guest sitting beside her, who had been silent till just now. She had straight black hair, which was well past her shoulders and bangs swept to the left side of her face. She also wore glasses like Reiji, but instead of red eyes, hers were blue.

"My name is Shizuka Okemi. And I've been told that I would be living here now."she answered a bit nervously.

"Ah~so now we have two ladies with us. Well I guess we'll have more to go around. I am quite thisty now..." said Laito, leaning closer to Shizuka.

"Can you not drink the blood of someone you just met for 15 minutes? "

Silence.

No one mentioned that to her yet- The fact that the 6 Sakamaki brothers were vampires.

"So you knew?"Laito chuckled. "This makes my job much easier."

"No fair. I want to taste her too."whined Kanato.

"You two are no better than Ayato. As I've said before, take your activities to your private rooms." said Reiji, interrupting them as he stood.

"Come, I shall escort you to your room, Miss Okemi. Your luggage is already there." He walked towards the stairs.

She didn't need to be told twice and followed.

Once they were out of sight, Ayato complained again. "Why her? I mean we already have chichinashi here."

"Shuu?" Subaru who had been silent, faced his eldest brother.

In reply, the blonde lying on the couch said "He said that he'll be sending another one to us and we can't kill her either."

They all knew who 'he' was-their father.

"Gee, perfect." Ayato said in annoyance. And just when he thought of the best way to get back at her for beating him. Oh well.


	3. Shizuka

SHIZUKA'S P.O.V

"So I'll be staying in this room?" I asked to confirm.

"Yes. This time, that man had informed me of your arrival. So the servants had time to put everything in order."stated Reiji. "Now, may I ask who exactly sent you here?"

"Mr Sakamaki, of course." Why does he look so skeptical?

"That's odd. Usually that man sends brides through the church." He narrowed his eyes at me. "What did that man tell you?"

Now I get why people used the term 'glaring daggers'. Reiji might as well be gutting me with a sword. "He um...He said that all of you were constantly taking blood from her and he feared that she might not last if this continues. So he sent me here. Like another 'S-Sacrificial bride'."

Yes, I stuttered. You try having Reiji staring at you like this.

"I see. Well you may rest for now. Should you have any questions, you may refer to me." _Yeah right_. Reiji turned and teleported to somewhere I dont know.

I looked around the room again. I couldn't help but notice it was in my favorite color.

Purple wallpaper, black carpet and a view of the forest from the large window. There was also a desk near the window. There was even a book shelf and a fireplace too. Lastly, the four-poster-bed, also in purple, and my luggage at the foot of it.

I crashed onto the bed. Exhausted from my long journey.

I felt the bed dip to my left. A sakamaki. Wait. It was the blonde.

"Uh, Shuu, right?" He ignored my question completely.

"Could you just sleep in your own bed?"

"Not as soft." I'm suprised he answered.

I sighed in defeat. I got up, thinking I might as well just unpack my stuff, since I figured blondie won't be getting up anytime soon. I was right. But apparently he did not want me to get up either.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me back onto the bed, hugging my waist. I blushed a bit. "Um..Shuu?"

"Soft." Dude seriously? I struggled, but it was futile. The sloth wasn't gonna let go or leave anytime soon. So I did the only thing I could—-sleep.

You may think I'm a fool, sleeping while in a vampire's hold. But I was tired, deadbeat. And as long as he doesn't bite me, I don't mind...much.

"You better not bite me." I muttered toward the sleeping vampire. The next thing I knew, I had drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A little info about my OC.

Her name in kanji: 静花.

She's an introvert, keeps to herself and dandere-ish, (is this a word?)

Wanna know more? Then keep reading. *evil laugh*


	4. Dinner

YUI'S P.O.V.

"Ayato no!" I begged, but he wasn't backing away.

"Come on, chichinashi. Yours Truly is thirsty." He backed me towards the wall, cornering me.

"But Laito just took my blood and I need some time to rest." I was walking back to my room after being bitten by Laito, when Ayato appeared demanding my blood.

"HUH? Looks like you still have strength to defy Yours Truly." Ayato leaned closer to me. I'm too weak from the bloodloss. Someone please help.

"Hey!" Ah! It's Miss Okami.

"Shizu..." I managed to say. Ayato could hurt her. I wanted to warn her.

"Go away, Ayato. Can't you see that Yui's tired?" What is she doing? She shouldn't still be here. But I can't do anything.

Ayato smirked. In the blink of the eye, he was standing right in front of Shizuka. He gripped her left arm. She winced.

"You know what,"Ayato's face was right next to Shizuka's. "I haven't got back at you for beating me yet. What should I do to settle the score?"

Shizuka's face contorted with pain, but she didn't scream. She met Ayato's gaze, staring him down.

"That is quite enough." We all turned toward the person who broke the unbearable silence.

"Tch, damn you Reiji." Finally, Ayato let go of Shizuka's arm. He pushed her away forcefully, causing her to stumble backwards.

"Dinner is ready, and it is impolite to keep others waiting." Ayato and Shizuka stood glaring at each other a few seconds longer. Then he teleported away. Probably to the dining room. So did Reiji.

Shizuka walked towards me, as if nothing happened just now. "Come on Yui, let's get you to your room." She offered me a smile and held out her hand. I took it, vaguely remembering her helping me to my room.

"Thank you."was all I could say. What her response was, I don't know. I fell asleep right after thanking her.

AYATO'S P.O.V.

Reiji just _had_ to show up. And that man's order not to kill her. Gah! Who cares? Then again, I might be thrown into the sea for disobeying. Luckily, I knew how to swim.

I tried to enjoy my takoyaki, ignoring Kanato smashing the innocent coconut biscuits with his fork on my left, talking to his teddy. And as if I couldn't be anymore annoyed, that girl walks in.

Excluding Reiji's empty seat, there were two seats left. One beside me, and another one beside Shu. Hmm, which seat will she choose? Oh, _surprise_ , she chose to sit beside Shu and Subaru.

"Yui doesn't feel so well, so she isn't gonna have dinner."she announced to no one in particular.

"Like anyone's listening." I muttered. She ignored me, taking more interest in her mac-&-cheese. Seriously? Man, this girl is pissing me off.

"Teddy look, Ayato seems angry."said Kanato.

"And his face is turning as red as his hair."she added.

OK. I didn't mind Kanato, but the girl, I couldn't take. So I did the reasonable thing-throw takoyaki right at her face.

She reacted quickly, throwing food back at me. Pretty soon, a food fight broke out.

Kanato was throwing food with one hand and shielding teddy with the other, laughing hysterically. Subaru was in on the fun too, hurling the food like bombs at us. Laito wasn't missing out either. Apparently, Shu found it much more entertaining to just watch while listening to his mp3. And that girl...she wasn't so bad herself. She dodged most of the attacks and fought back with equal force. Me? Well, Yours Truly was the best. Of course, the fun didn't last long.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

We turned toward the angry megane. He was so angry. You could practically see steam coming from his ears.

"CLEAN THIS MESS UP AT-" he was interrupted when a scoop of ice cream hit him IN THE FACE!. Shu couldn't have chosen a better moment to join in on the fun.

"Cool down, brother." Shu smirked. And Reiji retaliated, throwing a chunk of meat at him. "You always said you liked steak." And the fight continued, with two new players.

I guess the fun didn't have to end just yet.

NO ONE'S P.O.V.

The battle raged on. Who will win? Hard to say.

While this happened, a certain female slept soundly in her room, unaware of all that was happening in the dining room.

But hey, at least she finally got some sleep without being disturbed by one of the vamps for once.

* * *

 **Hey readers, nice seeing you again.**

 **1-I kinda misspelled my OC's name, it's Shizuka Okami, with an 'a' not 'e'. Gomen. Silly mistake.**

 **2-Like, follow, up to you. But _please_ review/comment. This'll help me make the story better. **

**P.S.: I have exams on Tue & Wed, so I'll ****_probably_** **be back on Thu.**


	5. First day

"Hey Yui." Shizuka greeted the blonde having her breakfast.

"Oh. Morning Shizuka." Yui smiled, then asked "Did anything happen last night?"

"Yeah." She told Yui about the dinner warfare and Yui laughed.

"So did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thanks to you."

They took their conversation into the living room. As they talked, Yui's past few months made its way into the conversation. Shizuka listened. To her, Yui had been used, abused, yet still holding on. She knew others would have broke by now.

Yui told Shizuka everything. Her arrival, the diary, Cordelia and the Awakening. By the time she was done, it was already noon. Shizuka didn't know how to respond. But she didn't have to.

"So would you like to have lunch Shizuka?" Yui seemed to think what happened didn't matter anymore, brushing it aside. If only it was as easy for the other to do so.

"Umm, no thanks. I think I'll just look around." Shizuka was already heading for the door, leaving.

"Arigatou." Yui said as her hand laid on the doorknob. Shizuka faced her, confused. Thank her? What had she done?

"I know we just met, but you saved me from Ayato. And it feels nice being to talk to someone about what happened. So thank you Shizuka. I'm glad I met you." She beamed at her.

"Me too." She smiled back. Then dissapeared through the door.

~~~~time skipper~~~~

SHIZUKA POV

After that oh so heartwarming talk with Yui, I decided to go into the forest.

Why not explore the mansion instead of the creepy forest? Two things.

1\. I am not looking around a mansion with sleeping vampires. For all I know, one of them could sleep-bite. Unlikely, but also a probability. So is the chance of me getting lost in there. Plus I didn't want to bother Yui.

2\. I wanted to.

Even though the sun was up, it was still kinda dark in the forest. They say normal people don't know how beautiful the darkness is. Then I don't want to be normal. Then again, am I normal?

I walked aimlessly, taking in the forest's dark beauty, drawing it in my book. I guess I got carried away, because it started to rain and I was too far from the mansion. Eventually, I reached what I think was a small church. I rushed inside.

Weird. I could've sworn it was sunny a moment ago. I checked my book, making sure it was still okay, when a hand stole it from my grasp, startling me.

"Give that back."

Shu raised his eyebrows, as if considering my request. "Beg for it."

"No." I stated firmly. I am not a bitch.

"Then you don't want this?" Holding out the book, threatening to throw it out into the rain. Even if I jumped for it, I wouldn't be able to get it. Damn, did he have to be so freaking tall?

Shu seemed amused, watching my frustrated expression. He placed his free hand beside my head, leaning in till our noses almost touched. "How's this? Give me your blood and I'll give you your book."

Give my blood willingly or risk the book getting wet. The choice was simple. Maybe for you. I grit my teeth, preparing myself. "Fine." I've been through worse.

"Ah!" The pain shooting up my neck was unexplainable, excruciating. Pleasurable? Hell no. Not for me. But Shu seemed to differ. "So hot."

It felt like hours had passed when he finally pulled away. By that time, the rain had stopped. I'm amazed I didn't pass out.

"Your blood isn't as sweet as the other more troublesome lewd woman, but yours is much more satisfying and of worth."He tossed my book back, teleporting away just like that. Leaving me by myself again.

I touched my neck. Feeling the marks left behind. I had just been fed off.

My first bite.


	6. Realise

He was just outside of her peripheral vision, watching her examine the marks on her neck in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Could be worse."she grunted. Then her eyes caught him in the mirror. She shrieked.

"Nfufu~ No need to be shy Shizu-chan.", giggled the fedora wearing vampire. Laito watched as she scrambled to get a towel to cover her shirtless figure.

"Get out." she growled, thankful that she hasn't taken off too much clothing.

"Oh, do you want me to go and tell my brothers about what you've been hiding?" He pointed at her chest. "Afraid they would've gotten in the way of your game? Maybe I should tell Ayato. He likes women like you."

He stepped closer to her, backing her against the wall. "Or maybe I should keep this as our little secret." He winked at her, causing her to turn a deeper shade of red.

She shrieked again in response, wishing he'd just leave already.

"BAM!" That's when the door slammed open.

~~~~le time skip ~~~~

SUBARU'S POV

Why that bastard even sends us to school, I don't know. Like we would learn. Okay maybe Reiji. But the rest of us? He's just wasting money and time. School. Seven crappy hours of our lives. Or whatever you call this damned existence.

"Ayato stop it."

"Make me chichinashi."

"Would you like to sit beside me, Bitch-chan?"

"Quiet you're disturbing the music."

I mean seriously. The limo was cramped enough. Can't they be less infuriating for one day? Then again I'm no better.

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT IT?!"

"Ne, Teddy. Only Reiji and Ningyou-chan* are quiet. Right?" Kanato giggled.

He was right. They both sat on either side of me. Reiji, a master at ignoring us, reading his book on my right; and Shizuka to my left.

Somehow she got on Reijis good side (If he had one at all). No ribbons, light grey T-shirt, leggings instead of socks. Reiji should've blown a fuse with all the dress code rules she's breaking. But with my ripped shirt, I didn't point it out. She also learned his ways over the weekend, tuning the world out, focused on drawing in her book.

Even with my vampiric vision, I saw no flaw in her drawing. With a few lines, she made an almost perfect likeness of Laito being burned at a stake, much to my approval. That's what that hentai gets for peeking at her in the bathroom.

Not that I cared about her or anything. Her shrieks were disturbing my sleep.

~~~~time skips~~~~

Class continued until recess. At least I guess it did. I never stuck around in class, unless I was sleeping. No one would dare to wake me up.

I wandered the halls a little longer. I got into a fight with some idiot who pissed me off. He was lucky I wasn't in full strength. Then I teleported to the roof. The only place that was quiet and empty, while those humans raid the cafeteria.

Not today though.

I saw her standing by the railing, her black hair swaying in the cool night breeze. My red eyes met with her beautiful blue orbs, framed by a pair of glasses.

"Tch. Why are you here?" I asked in my usual annoyed tone, turning my face to the left, letting my bangs cover my blush.

She didn't notice. "Oh. I'm not hungry. The library is closed too, so I thought I'd admire the view." She replied. She averted her gaze back to the skyline of the city.

I realized she had a pencil in one hand, and a book in the other. So she was drawing again. I stood beside her, gazing at the moon.

"Subaru." She looked at me again."When did you...last feed?"

Huh? Why would she ask that? I admit I haven't fed in a while. And after that fight, I felt tired and hungry. Did it show on my face?

"Here." My thoughts were cut off, as she extended her right arm towards me, showing her wrist.

I took her hand. But instead of biting her wrist, I pulled her against me, one arm around her waist, startling her. I was hungry. No. Starving.

I pulled her sleeve down slightly, revealing Shu's marks. Shame. I wanted to do it first. First come, first serve.

I bit her neck, drinking her blood, gulping down mouthfuls of it. Shu was correct, her blood was certainly of worth. I stopped before I felt full, shoving her away from me, for fear of losing control.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, "You could've just let me starve and die. One less vampire to worry about." One less destructive leech.

She shrugged, "Killing others is wrong, human or vampire. We all have the right to live. We were born into this world after all."

I stood staring at her until the bell rang, signaling the end of recess. "See you." She hurried past me.

I watched her descend the stairs as a realization hit me.

"Sakamaki-san have you finally had the spirit to learn?" I resisted the urge to punch sensei and walked to Shizuka's table. I sat beside her, looking out of the window, crossing my arms. It was my seat anyway.

Sensei clicked his tongue,"Hmph! Apparently not." He continued on with the lesson, snapping the others attention back to him.

I glanced at Shizuka. She didn't seem fazed by the bite just moments ago. Yui had taken much longer to adjust to the pain compared to her, and she's only been with us for three days. That had me wondering...

How much pain has she dealt with before coming here?

* * *

 ***Ningyou, means doll, as in barbie. More on this in the next chapter.**


	7. Cold

_Now he has asked me questions three,_

 _Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;_

 _I hope he'll answer as many for me,_

 _Before he shall be a true lover of mine~_

"Ningyou-chan." I stopped singing and turned.. "Hi Kanato and Teddy. Did you want to play?"

"No. We're both tired." He joined me on the balcony, gazing at the barely visible crescent in the night sky. I almost forgotten that vampires were less active during this time.

"Reiji wants to see you in his room, Ningyou-chan."he announced. I nodded and turned to leave, but he caught my arm."You really are a doll."he said, shifting his gaze at me.

"You're emotionless like a doll, until someone plays with you. Can we play after you see Reiji? Teddy and I love the expressions you make when we play." As much as I'd like to refuse, I couldn't resist his puppy eyes. Plus, he was my favorite among the triplets. "OK."

I made my way to Reiji's room, hoping it wasn't a punishment. I've heard from Yui how they were and I don't want to experience it. Ever.

"Come in, Miss Okami." Reiji answered the door before I could knock. I stepped inside, marveling the collection of tableware. What a dedicated otaku.

"Miss Okami." He motioned for me to sit. "It has come to my attention that I've neglected to thank you properly for your help in gathering plants for my experiments."

"There's no need to. I was obliged to lend a hand." I smiled politely.

"It would be impolite of me to not give you gratification. So I am offering you tea, which I do not usually serve."

I drank the tea. And I felt dizzy as soon as it went down my throat. I saw the corners of Reiji's mouth lift up."I added a little concoction to your tea."

In the blink of the eye, he slammed me against a bookshelf. "The scent of your blood is much stronger now. And may I say it's quite intoxicating." He breathed down my neck, inhaling the amplified scent. Then he bit down, drinking my red fluids.

My heart raced. Not because of the pain, but because of fear. Out of all the Sakamaki brothers, Reiji intimidated me the most. Now, he's down right terrifying me.

He stopped once he had his fill, but he was far from being done with me. "Perhaps I've been taking it too easy with you." He grinned, sending chills down my spine. "Time for your punishment."

Reiji teleported us to the river, and pushed me in without a second thought. I knew how to swim, but my body seemed to have forgotten. Water had flooded my lungs.

I couldn't tell which way was up or down. My body and mind went numb, feeling so cold.

 _So cold._

 _The little girl hugged herself, shivering in the snow. "Help.."she sobbed._

 _"Honestly, you must get rid of this habit. Running aimlessly until you're lost. I can't always be the one to find you."_

 _The girl looked at the man, tears streaming down her face. "They're gone. Mommy..and Daddy.. I can't find them."_

 _The man stared at her, as if pondering something. "Then come with me." He held out his hand._

 _"Can I?" The girl asked, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes._

 _Not waiting for an answer, she tackled him in a hug._

 _How innocent the girl was, not knowing she was embracing her fate for the worst, and what the man would be taking from her._

* * *

 **So, can you guess who the man is?**


	8. AN

An authors note.

Sooner or later I had to write at least one of these.

 **First things first**.

SORRY SORRY SORRY.

I'm very sorry I haven't updated sooner. Hate me if you want. I deserve it.

 **Secondly**

I'm gonna change darling Shizuka's personality a lil' bit → Dandere/Kuudere.

 **Third**

Silly me, I neglected to say this: Disclaimer. I do not own DL blah blah blah... I only own Shizuka.

And a YUMA HUG (bear hug) to Global-Mariah.

Anywhoozers, sorry again for the long wait. Now on with the story. (⌒▽⌒)


	9. What?

Her breathing was deep and relaxed, all the muscles in her face and body were totally at peace. The movement of her breasts rising and falling with each intake of air such was the depth of her oblivion. This was a body totally at peace, at rest, at one with itself... But nothing lasts forever.

She twitched slightly, shifting under the blanket, in her seat. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing icy blues, framed not by her glasses, but thick long lashes. They looked frantically around the room, scanning her surroundings.

She was in the last room that she saw before taking a swim in the river. She knew she hadn't been out for long as she was soaking wet. She shivered from the cold.

Her eyes landed on the person who had pushed her into the river. She watched him dry his head with a towel. His back was facing her.

"It is rude to stare at someone for long periods at a time, Miss Ōkami." Reiji turned.

Shizuka averted her gaze, but he reappeared behind her. He caught her chin with his fingers, looking into her eyes. She cowered under his piercing red orbs.

 _If Reiji weren't so stiff, he would look like him. Even his eyes are just like his._

"No struggling?" He asked, pulling Shizuka out of her thoughts.

"I-It will just make it wors-"

Suddenly, his hand moved to her throat, applying pressure to it, cutting off her air supply. She gasped, shutting her eyes. But she did not fight back.

Finally, he let her go. Or rather, he pushed her onto the carpet. She steadied her breathing as her lungs rummaged for oxygen.

"Go. You are dampening the furniture." He looked away in disgust.

"S-sorry." She stammered, getting back on her feet. She discarded the blanket and headed for the door.

"Miss Ōkami."

"Yes?" She was already standing by the door.

Reiji tossed her glasses across the room. She caught them, mentally scolding herself for almost leaving them behind.

"Know that I will not hesitate to punish you next time."

She bobbed her head and left without another word.

* * *

REIJI POV

 _'You didn't struggle.'_

Why didn't she? I had thought she would have thrashed and flailed wildly, uselessly kicking her legs. Like the countless brides before her. Instead, I saw her give herself into the darkness and let the dark indigo body of water take her, sinking her down to the cold bottom of the river.

She knew about our being vampires. That meant she had been informed of it before coming here. Despite that, she still came. If it was by force, surely she would have tried to escape. And yet, she has not even made a single attempt.

Had she wanted to drown? Thinking it was the least painful way to end it here?

I cannot let that happen. If she truly wished to die, then I shall find other more painful means to do so. In agony and regret. I will not give her the satisfaction of a peaceful death. Not like her.

 _"I knew…that if it were you…surely…you would…be able to…kill me…"_

I will never repeat the same mistake.

Never.

* * *

SHIZUKA POV

I stumbled in the dark hallway, trying to remember the way to my room. Reiji's tea made it hard for me to think straight.

"Ne, Teddy. Why did Reiji do that?" Said a familiar voice.

I looked up and saw a vampire looking at me with curiosity. "Kanato?"

Kanato ignored my question. He continued to talk to Teddy.

"Reiji would have left any other bride to drown. But he saved her. Then again, it was quite boring. No fun in watching someone drown, when they don't struggle or have that cute look of fear."

An uncomfortable silence passed.

"Ningyou-chan?" He asked, as if he just acknowledged my presence. "No fair. You played with Reiji first. Well, you should go and change. You're more susceptible to catch a cold, being cold and wet."

"Uh.. Okay.." My brain was having a hard time processing what he said.

"Your blood will taste bad when you're sick. And we can't play with you. Anyway, Teddy and I are still tired. So we'll play tomorrow."

Just like that, he turned and walked away.

* * *

Almost drowned and choked. Then be creeped out by Kanato. Great. What else?

A shower.

"Ahh~" I sighed in contentment as the hot water hit my body, warming me up.

The water pours down, it drips by my side, as my mind fades into dullness and everything is a foggy illusion. I bathed my skin lightly, taking careful notice of my arms and lower body. The sensation of the steamy water calms me, taking my mind off almost everything. Almost.

Once I finished, I turned the shower off. But I didn't step out just yet. I stood there, trying to register what Kanato had said.

' _Reiji would have left any other bride to drown.'_

Then why save me? Because he didn't want to disobey Karlheinz's order to not kill me? I can tell Reiji isn't one to break a rule. But he tried to choke me after I woke up. I just don't get-

"Uh.." I nearly jumped out of my skin.

I whirled around and through the steam that filled the bathroom, I saw a pair of ocean blue eyes staring back at me. At my glistening body.

I regained my senses, covering myself with the shower curtain. I felt like a deer stuck in headlights. It wasn't this bad when Laito peeked at me. I wasn't stark naked then.

"GET THE F*** OUT SHUU!" I threw brushes and soap bars and any other loose objects at him.

Can't I ever have privacy in this place?! And how long exactly had he been standing there before he said anything?!


	10. Game on

_Originally, Shizuka was to be introduced to the Sakamaki brothers before they left for school. But of course, you can only do so much to prepare. There is always that one factor that can't be controlled- traffic. So the introduction was postponed till after the school hours._

 _"Settle down, class. Today a new student will be joining us. Please introduce yourself, young lady."_

 _"I'm S-Shizuka Ōkami.." She fidgeted with the hem of her tee, uncomfortable with the attention of all the students in the classroom._

 _"Can't hear you! Speak up!" Said a voice. There were some snickers from the students._

 _"Now now. Be nice, class. Miss Ōkami, you may take one of the seats in the back."_

 _"But Sensei, that's where he sits." Someone argued. The students started murmuring amongst each other._

 _"Enough!" The class quieted down at sensei's raised voice. "I don't see him around. So be it. Take a seat, Miss Ōkami." And she did._

 _~~~~time hop~~~~_

 _"Hey, new girl." Said a student. "Wanna join us? We can show you around the school." She gestured at the girls standing behind her._

 _"Sure. Thanks." Shizuka had no reason to decline the offer._

 _They introduced themselves to Shizuka while giving her a 'tour' of the high school. Shizuka asked questions every now and then, but mostly kept quiet, listening to the others talk._

 _"And this is Ryoutei Academy's indoor basketball cour-"_

 _"WATCH OUT!" A basketball flew from the court, aimed straight at the girl._

 _It would've left a mark on her on face, if Shizuka had not caught it. The other girls surrounded her, making sure said girl was alright._

 _"Oi! Give it back!" A red haired male walked toward them._

 _"Apologize to her first." Shizuka said, shocking everyone._

 _"T-there is no need, Shizuka.."_

 _"Eh? Are you defying Ore-sama?" He narrowed his eyes, stooping, so they were eye level._

 _"Come on, Ayato. Just get another ball." Someone said._

 _Ayato didn't hear him. All he heard was the blood rush in his ears. "Who do you think you are?" He asked the girl._

 _"Definitely not Ore-sama." She mocked._

 _"J-just give him the ball back, Shizuka. Class will start in the next 15 minutes." A girl tried to persuade her._

 _"Oh really?" Ayato straightened. "Plenty of time to have one game. What do you say, Shizuka? Then maybe I'll apologize to your friend."_

 _"Fine." Everyone looked at the girl like she was crazy. She was going to challenge presumably the best basketball player in the school. What was she thinking?!_

 _Minutes passed in seconds, and the scoreboard was still on zero. Neither of them managed to score a point. Ayato and Shizuka were too busy fighting for the ball. Dribbling. Blocking. Stealing._

 _A crowd of students had gathered to watch their match. They were impressed that the girl could even last this long._

 _Only five seconds remained. FIVE seconds to determine who wins the game. Shizuka dribbled the ball carefully with her left hand, securing it as if it were her first born. As she glanced at the shot clock, there were only three seconds left until the game ends and class starts._

 _It was in these three seconds that she felt as though luck was on her side because out of no reason, Ayato who was blocking her, tripped and fell bottom first on to the court's floor. She took the opening and leaped rapidly high shooting the ball in mid air. The bell rang as the ball sunk into the basket after making a rainbow ark._

"RAINBOW?! Where'd the frickin' rainbow come from?"

Shizuka had been in the midst of telling Yui how she met (and beat) Ayato. They were sitting on the couch in the living room while waiting for the limo.

"Quiet down. And who's telling the story here?"

"Definitely not Ore-sama." Ayato mimicked her voice.

"Very funny." Shizuka deadpanned.

"Haha." Yui laughed at the two. Their small arguments never cease to amuse her. "You two fight like a married couple."

"Tch. Ore-sama is too good to be her husband."

"Says the person who lost to a girl." Laito teased. Like Yui, he was amused by them, but he loved to feed the flames even more to see his triplet brother's reaction.

"That's it!" Something flashed in Ayato's hand. "I demand a rematch." He pointed his sword at Shizuka.

"Not today, Ayato." Shizuka sighed, rubbing her temple.

"Too late to back out Missy!" Ayato swung the blade.

Ayato had always challenged Shizuka whenever he got the chance. Either at basketball or swordplay. They were mostly surprise attacks, leaving her no choice to accept.

Normally, Shizuka would've had no trouble dodging. Ayato expected her to move. But this time, she was too slow to react. She watched as the blade came closer. And closer..

A hand appeared out of nowhere, pulling Shizuka out of the blade's path. She was pulled out of her seat and onto her feet. Shizuka lifted her head and quickly slid her gaze to the floor, aware of who saved her.

"What the hell Ayato! Can't you just shut your f***ing trap and let me sleep?!"

"Oh yeah, Subaru? Why don't you shut your foul mouth?!"

They solved the argument face to face. Literally. Their faces were millimeters apart.

"Says a guy who would hit a girl."

"She's more like a demon than a girl."

"Nfufu." Someone chuckled.

A pair of arms snaked around Shizuka's torso, hugging her from behind. "Oh really, Ayato? Maybe I should check to confirm Musume* is a girl." Laito joked, resting his chin on her shoulder. Shizuka shoved him away roughly.

Recently, Laito had discovered that she wore a chest bind. Although he never told his brothers about it, he kept teasing her, coming up with ridiculous reasons for her to take off her top.

"Hn. Look at Ningyou-chan's face, Teddy. So cute, right?" Kanato giggled.

Everyone (even Teddy) looked at Shizuka. She raised her book to cover face. But she failed. All of them could see that her cheeks had flushed bright pink from embarrassment.

"Enough of this nonsense." Reiji spoke up. "Tardiness is not tolerated. It is time to depart."

"What right do you have to order us around?" Kanato's mood turned from happy to mad in seconds.

"Like we'd listen to you, Tableware-otaku." Ayato retorted.

"Just get in the limo." Shu stood and walked out the front door. So cool.

"C'mon, Shizuka." Yui trailed after Shu, pulling Shizuka along, helping her escape the awkward situation. The rest followed soon after, leaving Ayato dumbstruck in the living room.

"Hey, Missy! Were not done yet!" He shouted.

No need to be dissapointed, Ayato, try again next time. Who knows? Maybe you'll finally beat her. Thirteen times the charm.

* * *

Musume- young woman

In Laito's sense, "girlie" or "bitch" come closer to capturing the meaning.


End file.
